Living here in the Philippines for 14 years, I’ve seen so many changes now compared to when we first arrived. At that time I hardly see different kinds of veggies that’s really good to make a salad. The only thing that’s good at that time I think here would be an iceberg lettuce. There could be some other kind but you had to fly to Manila & shop at the grocery stores there. Thank goodness for so many changes nowadays, living in the provinces of the Philippines gets way better now everyday.
I think early this year Bob mentioned to me that one of our foreigner friends told him about a nice and good organic garden that he knew that can be found here in Bajada, Davao City. When Bob said that I was thinking a big place for a garden in the middle of the city? So finally a couple of week or so ago Bob & I together with Jean went to the organic garden that a friend of ours mentioned to Bob. It’s quite a ways for us because we lived in the other side of city. But it’s worth going there. When we got there the garden was surprisingly small but it’s packed with the plants that the owner knows were good to grow in that environment and the land.
The owner his name is Rodelio. He is a doctor I think in profession. Studied here in the Philippines, but continued his college days in the States. Stayed there and worked hard, then came back here after his retirement. He loved the outdoors so much after coming back to the PI, he then decided to do farming especially planting different kinds of herbs.
I was so surprised seeing different kinds of good veggies for a good salad. He grows romaine lettuce, iceberg, purple lettuce, arugula, I think he had oak leaf lettuce, watercress, and other vegetable like eggplant (Japanese & local), carrots (regular & baby), cherry tomatoes and the big tomatoes, different kind of chili peppers (different variety), spinach, squash, radish, onions, cucumber (local & foreign kinds), I think he had asparagus there too and many others.
He also has different kinds of herb spices like basil (different kinds), cilantro, parsley, dill, sage, chives, mint (different kinds), lemon grass, oregano, turmeric, rosemary, thyme and many more. Rodelio also makes sun-dried tomato. Saying that you have to reserve because it will be gone in an instant. We will order that next time. We still have some sun-dried tomatoes, next time we’re out we’ll definitely order from there to try them out. They also made this coconut wine vinegar with turmeric, ginger, garlic and other herbs inside. I bought one bottle like a liter inside. We didn’t use it right away co’z I know that they just newly put the vinegar inside and the spices. When we get home I told Jean & my niece to try to put some small chili (siling labuyo) inside the bottle and let it close for a few days. I could just taste that it’s not that strong of the flavor yet. Now, the longer it stays in the cupboards not open for almost 2 weeks the taste gets better and stronger. We like the flavor of the vinegar now.
One thing also that’s good with the owner. If you happen to have a seedling that you bought from the States or any place abroad, he will try to plant the seeds for you. If the seeds grows good here, you will get to harvest with him too. We like onions, we are thinking of getting him a vidalia onion seeds or some other sweet onions. Thinking of some other seeds that we want that he didn’t have there yet. I forgot to mentioned above that he also owned a land in Cabantian area. He said its almost a hectare, he planted lots of veggies there and some sweet corn. Wednesdays & Saturdays are the harvest days both farms the one near Abreeza and in Cabantian. They will also bring the veggies that were harvested from the Cabantian farm to the one near Abreeza. You can also do the harvesting yourself of what veggies you want.
The name of his place is “Wynward Organic Vegetables & Bistro”. Located at Regina Dalisay Compound, Bajada, Davao City. Just at the back of Abreeza mall on the Obrero side. He also cooked food there if you want to eat there, just call him ahead of time. Maybe he can tell you what’s his special on that day. We didn’t try the bistro yet.
Try to see and visit the place and tell Rodel hello from us!
i live in an apartment complex in digos city. we have a community garden where malunggay, lemon grass, okra, etc. grow. there is nothing like eating fresh vegetables straight from the garden. no pesticides either. thanks for the info on that farmers veggie stand.
Hi william c borkowski – Agree with you. Same with the organic veggies that I was talking about, no pesticides on that either. We had the salad day before yesterday and it was really good.
Have fun on there in Digos. Have a great day!
good day to you, do you know where we can get curry plants in davao area.
thanks in advance,
max
Hi Feyma – variety is still quite limited in fruit and vegetables in Dumaguete. There is enough for my liking though as I’m not so picky. For extra variety I just adapt and eat fruit or vegetable I’m not accustomed with like jack fruit. Growing your own garden with variety like your friend is a really good idea. At foundation university here they grow iceberg lettuce in very large quantities but it all gets exported to Cebu. I was told by the manager it’s because the people here don’t really like it so much. Lol. So in some respects variety is possibly limited because of less demand from the culture in an area. I have been to quite a few parties in the Philippines and seldom a salad exists, vegetables are more like sprinkled on the top of dishes. By my experience it appears most Philippine people don’t highly value their fruit and vegetables let alone the variety.
Hi Brenton – I can understand. Some places just has vast variety of fruits and veggies. We are just so lucky here in our Mindanao. We have so much fruits (from Kidapawan, Eden, Davao & South Cotabato) and veggies (Bukidnon & Gensan & South Cotabato Province) to chose from. Mindanaoans just plenty of food I guess. LOL.
Definitely salad is not famous dish during party time in the PI. Ha ha ha.. Roasted (lechon) pig and other main dish (fritada, noodle thingy called bihon, adobo & others) were the food prepared in the party especially in the province. I’m surprised in your area fruits were not presents during the party. When I was a kid we had variety of fruits presents on the table. We definitely have on our table now too whenever we had our get together here in our house.
Good to see you here. Have a wonderful day!
Hi Feyma – I have noticed fruits are brought as gifts a little, even when friends visit our place they bring fruit. I never thought much of it until you mentioned it. But when I was in hospital and likewise for my wife, we were showered with fruits, biscuits and drinks. I had so many fruits I had to give about 90% away to others. Maybe I can practice taking fruit as gifts when I visit people.
Nice article Fema!
I was wandering, do you happen to know if a good variety of vegetable seeds are available there to purchase, so we can grow our own once we move there, or should we stock-up on the seeds we will need and bring them with us. Nothing exotic, just the basics like different varieties of tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, cucumber, okra, onions, bell peppers, eggplant, broccoli, cabbage.
Hi Bill – Thank you so much. We saw some seeds for sale before on some hardware stores here like Ace & True Value when they first open. I’m not sure now though.
To be sure just take a lot of seeds along with you when you come here to live. It will be good for a long time anyway.
Good luck on your garden here later. Have a pleasant day!
love organic veggies
Us too Mel Capistrano!
Next time you are home in Davao, Mel, give Wynward a try. I think you will like it.
i.d like to bring back here lol. in my suitcase?
Good idea. LOL!
Bring some seeds, Mel, and start your own garden!
Wow !!! Cool”””
Super cool for sure Lenny. 🙂 !!!
If you brought home romaine lettuce from the organic garden, Feyma, I can make you good Caesar salad. Of all salads, it is my favorite. Caesar salad goes well with steak or prime rib dinner. You will need the following items:
1. 1 large, deep wooden bowl
2. a pair of large wooden spoon and fork like the ones on display on the wall next to a replica of the Last Supper found in most Filipino homes
3. one large clove of garlic
4. 3 lemons
5. Black ground pepper
6. 2 small cans of anchovies
7. Parmesan cheese
8. Worcestershire sauce
9. Croutons
10. One large head of Romaine lettuce
In a large wooden bowl, grind two small cans of anchovies to a paste. Peel and crush the cloves of garlic and grind it along with the anchoves. Squeeze the two lemons less the seeds on top of the anchovies and garlic. Add 3 tablespoons of Worcestire sauce. Add ground pepper to taste. Keep grinding the anchovies and garlic until it becomes watery. Now, it’s time to add the romaine lettuce. Break off each leaf of the romaine lettuce in 2 or 3 pieces and throw them into the bowl. Add parmesan cheese and be liberal with it. Ngayon haluin mo ng husto (Mix all the stuff real good with the wooden spon and fork). Now, portion out the contents of the bowl on salad plates. You should be able to get 4 or 6 servings out of one large head of romaine lettuce. Now the final touch. Add croutons on each plate of salad, making sure the croutons remain on top so that they remain dry and crunchy. Bon apetit! 🙂
Hi John – We make similar salad dressing. You used more anchovies than I do. I don’t have that Worcestershire sauce, I will try to remember putting that on my Caesar dressing next time. So I assume that’s why you don’t use EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) because you’re using 2 small cans of anchovies? I figured the anchovies had so much olive oil in it anyway. We really like that Caesar salad. My mouth watering now. Hmmm, we might have to make this today. LOL
Thank you for sharing your recipe. Good to see you here as always!
Now that you mentioned oil, that is something that I forgot, Feyma. Yes, I use I use Bertolli’s extra virgin olive oil, and that should go into the bowl at the very beginning before the anchovies and garlic. There is also another ingredient that I left out: raw egg, if you really want to be fancy LOL, but that is optional. Personally, I would not include the raw egg, but if you want, you can try it and see how that goes. The raw egg comes before the parmesan cheese and the croutons.
Hi John – I used that brand of olive too. So many other brand to chose from nowadays. For me whatever’s on sale when I go to the mall, I will buy that brand.
Raw egg, nah I don’t use that. But I put boiled egg on my salad though, yep with Parmesan cheese and croutons. It’s yum.. 🙂
In Mexico they use this recipe but with a raw egg in it…..lots of garlic also
Hi Feyma
Going to visit the place this week on your recommendation. You can’t beat genuine organic veg!
Hi AJ UK – I’m glad that you will give it a try. Have fun there.
Have a wonderful day!
While I am an Aircraft Mechanic to fund my other pursuits in life…I am a very learned student of growing and preparing proper food items.
ORGANIC is a label. In fact there is a lot of fraud in this labeling. if you do not visit the actual farmer or farm site then you may be getting the LABEL only and not an organic. Know your providor and also what to look for. it sue sounds like you found a good one locally there in Davao.
In order to produce yield and make a profit, the temptation is very strong to slap an organic label on a product and sell it for more money. The offenders are even found in the SM and Pure Gold chain stores. Several times I did a store test and found pesticides and inorganic fertilizer residue on veggies labled as organic at the chain stores (Wet markets also). It is always best to go direct to the producer if you can or find a reliable and honest vendor or best of all….grow your own.
As for bringing seeds to the Philippines. it IS possible, and many folks do it. The problem is with heat and some many varieties will BOLT or are not suited to the conditions in the tropics and produce horrible results. Locally sourced seeds are proven to grow properly and provide very good results they are available at nurseries and also in farm supply shops. and yes, even ACE etc sell some from time to time.. Foreign seeds seem to do better in the cooler areas IE: Baguio, Tagaytay, CAR, CVR etc. read higher altitudes. These places usually equal more optimal growing conditions in general.
For those in Manila or anywhere in the NCR there are several very reputable and reliable vendors that will deliver to your door organic veggies and fruits (not sure about other areas of the country yet). What is very interesting is a lot of their best sources are from Mindanao!. Tagaytay and the CAR or CVR also provide very good sources. and they normally test clean of residues and many of the smarter farms do get certified as Organic by International Standards, Oregon Tilth being the best one out of several standards.
Hi Tito Joe – Good thing that Wynward really are selling true organic veggies. One of this days my kids wants to go there to harvest the veggies themselves. That will be fun for them. LOL
Thank you for sharing some info for the people to know in Luzon area. We just are lucky here in the Mindanao area to have so many produce all over the island.
Always good to see you here. Thank you for your comment. Have a great day!
Ma’Am Im louie po frm davao city, tanong ko lng po kng meron bah kaung lagundi ang herbal para sa asthma ko.nahihirapan na po kc ako sa asthma na ito eh.
Nice variety of vegetables Bob. Some of those are perfect for juicing… 🙂
Wow! I did not think the climate would allow those types of salad greens to grow there. I do not have a heavy appetite in the heat of summer, and I often prefer just to eat a simple salad. It’s good to know that I can have these options.
This is also a perfect example of something Dave Starr has been writing about lately. There is a growing middle class in the Philippines. Many of them have developed tastes for things not typically found in the Philippines, That makes them a huge untapped market for many things. This retired doctor has found a way to capitalize on it.
Take care,
pete
Mrs Feyma,
Sounds like a neat place. That vinegar dressing sounds like it would be good also for marinating chicken and other meats for grilling. Another good organic product we like is red rice. Really has a good flavor.
Good article!!
This is one of the things I am moving there for ..to have a garden..lol
Where I live now (upstate NY) it has been known to freeze every month of the year. That makes it difficult to grow with any reliability, even then only certain hardy things with short growing seasons will produce.
I am a big fan of greens such as collards, swiss chard, kale..etc. Do you know if seeds are available there for these types of greens or should I plan on bringing some with me?
Also?..What about “mail-order” seeds?.Is that a posibility there as well?
Great article. Always enjoy the topics here..:)
~~Richard
Hi, where can i buy some seedlings around davao city? esp. Cilantro and lettuce. blessings
Good evening!
I am one of the researchers of a feasibility study from Ateneo de Davao University regarding the construction of a community garden in an underprivileged community within Davao City. May I ask what is the contact number of Wynward Organic Vegetables & Bistro? I also humbly ask for any information or contact persons regarding vegetable planting and also marketing vegetable products to the general public. I hope for your response. Thank you.
hello! do you have garlic plants in you vegetable area? im just curious if garlic will grow in davao.
Hi! We are the go green club members from The Abba’s Orchard School. And we are interested in Rodelio’s Organic farm. You can contact us at
Hi! We are students from the Abba’s Orchard School. We are interested to visit Wynward Organic Vegetables & Bistro. Please give us information on how to contact the owner. We are very interested to learn about organic farming.Please contact us through this email add [email protected] you in advance.
Hi Feym. Surprised to see you here. This is json’s (jared’s gr7/8 classmate) mom.
I’m searching for garden soil to grow vegetables in my little yard. Would you happen to know where i could buy some? Based on the regular size of sack, about 15 of it i need. Im just starting and badly need coaching..
i’ll go to Wynward Organic Vegetables & Bistro tomorrow. Perhaps, they have stuff i need in my gardening. Thank you for sharing.
leila
Hi Leila – So good to see you here. I remember you and you and Jason. I think he’s been to our house.
Wynward has the soil you needed. I bought a few sacks from there when I was starting my gardening in my backyard. You can also ask advice from the owner Rodel on what veggies and herbs to grow in your own little garden. 🙂
Say hi to Rodel for me. He’s a very nice guy and very helpful. Good luck to your garden.
Here’s his info.
Wynward Organic Vegetable Garden
Regina Compound, Bajada, Davao City
0905-841-9871
0999-385-4686
I’m so glad that you drop by here. See you in ADDU sometime soon. Have a great day and God bless!
I will. Thanks Feym. God bless you too.
hi can we buy lettuce from you? the lettuce that we actually need is that it has roots
and could be transferred for planting on our project…
# Pretty Pleaaaase T.T
hi, where can i buy a beetroot and celery root?
hi there. do you guys plant garlic?
are the cilantros available